The present invention relates to the art of geotextile containers of the type for maintaining fill material.
Geotextile containers adapted to serve as receptacles for soil, aggregate or other fill material are utilized in a variety of applications. For example, elongated geotextile containers are often utilized in a body of water, such as a bay or a river, to facilitate control of erosion. In a typical application, an elongated container of this type may be situated to extend generally in parallel, perpendicular or at various angles with respect to the shoreline. Such a container may be filled with material dredged from the bottom of the body of water to provide weight to maintain the container in position. The area between the container and the shoreline may be backfilled with soil to effectively extend the shoreline farther out into the body of water. Containers of this type may also be used as a receptacle for contaminated material.
In the prior art, each end of an elongated geotextile container has often been simply sewn shut to form a seam. When filled, the weight of the fill material tends to push against the seamed end. As a result, the seams generally become a weak part of the structure.
The weight and size of the container itself also will often present a significant problem. For example, an elongated geotextile container of this type may have a length of up to about 2,000 feet or more. The circumference will generally depend on the desired barrier height, but a circumference of about forty-five (45) feet or more is also not unusual. The dry weight of the largest of such a container may exceed eight (8) tons. As a result, these containers have often been difficult to manufacture, transport and install.